Barbecue Chicken Casserole
This Barbecue Chicken Casserole is all sweet and smoky bbq flavors in an easy to make one-dish casserole. No need to boil the noodles here, they cook as they bake! Prep this comforting dinner in 10 minutes before baking and it will disappear in no time.
Barbecue chicken is a classic in our house any night of the week. I thought I would put a fun spin on it and make it into an easy casserole and the results were so delicious. The best part about this Barbecue Chicken Casserole is that it is mess-free since you don’t even need to boil the noodles.
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Stir everything together in the baking dish in about 10 minutes, then bake it off until it’s perfectly cooked through. It’s the easiest meal to feed a crowd and also a great one to take to a potluck. If you love a good casserole, you may not know, but I’m pretty famous for them. Try my Tater Tot Taco Casserole or my Meatball Sub Casserole for two other hearty meals.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- No-mess dinner recipe. Clean up is about 5 minutes! Just wash the baking dish.
- Leftovers are even better the next day. It’s no joke, the flavors get better with time.
- A casserole that needs no sides! This bbq chicken casserole has it all, carbs, protein, and veggies, so you can feel great about serving it to friends and family.
ingredients
Scroll Down to the Bottom of this Post for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Printable Recipe Card
- Philadelphia Whipped cream cheese: Buy the full fat here. I love the whipped since it’s already soft in texture and easy to stir in.
- Pasta rotini, penne, cellentani, or fusilli: Pasta noodles of choice. I love a shorter noodle that has ridges or spirals to adhere nicely to the sauce.
- Shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese: Grate the cheese from the block for the best melt and gooey quality.
- Olive oil: Cooking fat for the casserole.
- Chicken broth regular or low sodium: Adds richness to the broth and sauce.
- Barbecue seasoning: Smoky and bold in flavor.
- Garlic powder: A nice pinch infuses every bite with garlicky goodness.
- Chopped cooked chicken: The protein for the barbecue chicken casserole. You can use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or cook it fresh.
- Heavy cream: Key to that rich and creamy sauce.
- Barbecue sauce: Use your favorite brand to add that delicious smoky and sweet flavor.
- Garnish options: I love to garnish with sliced green onions, ranch dressing, crispy fried onions, cooked and crumbled bacon
Tools You’ll Need
how to make barbecue chicken casserole
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- In a 13×9-inch baking dish, place the whipped cream cheese in the center. Distribute the uncooked pasta and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese around the cream cheese.
- Sprinkle on barbecue seasoning, seasoning salt, and garlic powder, and drizzle olive oil evenly over the top of the pasta, and cheddar cheese.
- Pour chicken stock over the mixture. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Carefully remove the foil. Add the cooked chicken, 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, heavy cream, and 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce. Stir the ingredients together. Recover with foil. Return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes.
- Remove the foil. Add the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese on top. Bake uncovered 5-10 minutes or until browned and bubbling at the edges. Rest 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle the remaining barbecue sauce on top and garnish as desired.
expert tips
- No need to boil the pasta! The noodles cook until al dente while the casserole bakes in the oven and helps to thicken the sauce.
- Cover with foil for most of the baking. It’s a technique to keep the steam inside of the casserole dish so that the noodles cook while the casserole bakes in the oven. Uncover at the end to melt and lightly brown the shredded cheddar on top.
- Broil for a couple of minutes at the end if desired. This will add a nice golden brown finish to the casserole.
- Add other vegetables to the barbecue chicken casserole. Feel free to stir in peas, broccoli, cauliflower florets, or bell peppers for some added veggie goodness.
- Swap the protein. You can easily use pulled turkey or pulled pork if you want.
storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
You can freeze the leftovers as well for 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend using a rotisserie chicken for ease. You can use the breast meat or the thigh meat depending on which you prefer.
Of course! Always use your favorite here. Any brand with do.
Yes! Add some cayenne pepper to the casserole dish or serve it with hot sauce. You can even swap the cheddar cheese for Pepper Jack. Make it your own!
more easy casserole recipes
- Chili Dog Casserole
- Chicken and Biscuit Casserole
- Chicken Cornbread Casserole
- Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
Barbecue Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 7.5 ounce package Philadelphia Whipped cream cheese
- 12 ounces pasta rotini, penne, cellentani, or fusilli
- 3 cups shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese divided
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups chicken broth regular or low sodium
- 2 teaspoons barbecue seasoning
- 1-2 teaspoons seasoning salt or salt and black pepper, amount as desired
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup barbecue sauce divided
- Garnish options: sliced green onions, ranch dressing, crispy fried onions, cooked and crumbled bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- In a 13×9-inch baking dish, place the whipped cream cheese in the center. Distribute the uncooked pasta and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese around the cream cheese.
- Sprinkle on barbecue seasoning, seasoning salt, and garlic powder, and drizzle olive oil evenly over the top of the pasta, and cheddar cheese.
- Pour chicken stock over the mixture. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Carefully remove the foil. Add the cooked chicken, 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, heavy cream, and 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce. Stir the ingredients together. Recover with foil. Return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes.
- Remove the foil. Add the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese on top. Bake uncovered 5-10 minutes or until browned and bubbling at the edges. Rest 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle the remaining barbecue sauce on top and garnish as desired.
Notes
- No need to boil the pasta! The noodles cook until al dente while the casserole bakes in the oven and helps to thicken the sauce.
- Cover with foil for most of the baking. It’s a technique to keep the steam inside of the casserole dish so that the noodles cook while the casserole bakes in the oven. Uncover at the end to melt and lightly brown the shredded cheddar on top.
- Broil for a couple of minutes at the end if desired. This will add a nice golden brown finish to the casserole.
- Add other vegetables vegetables to the barbecue chicken casserole. Feel free to stir in peas, cauliflower florets, broccoli or bell peppers for some added veggie goodness.
- Swap the protein. You can easily pulled turkey or pork butt if you want.
Nutrition
About Laura
Taught by some of the best, cooking and entertaining has always been my favorite hobby. Food is my love language! The conception of Dinner in 321 came from my family talks that sharing our dinners would help others learn new skills, tasty recipes, and make cooking fun! Read more…
